Thursday, July 31, 2008

When I want something bad enough, it usually comes my way eventuallyFor a long time, a very long time, I've been wanting some dried sausage. Preferably the dried German sausage of my youth, made in Fredericksburg, smoked and air-dried, never cooked. My mom told me a couple of years ago that it was no longer possible to get that. Apparently regulations now require everything be cooked and while she could still get the dried sausage in Fredericksburg, it wasn't quite the same. Sure enough, when she brought me some I had to agree - it wasn't the same, but it was better than nothing. However, no matter how much I might be craving dried sausage, I wasn't going to jump in the car and drive out to Fredericksburg, especially for a pale imitation of the original. I've searched on-line, hoping to find something mail order, but I haven't had much luck. There is mail-order dried sausage out there, but it's not affordable and not necessarily what I was craving since I suspect that Italian dried sausage might be seasoned a bit differently than the German-Texan dried sausage I was wanting. I even looked into the possibility of making my own dried sausage and the stuff to do it is also out there, available to the average Joe, but way too expensive for our budget at this time. Maybe someday. Lately I've been somewhat vocal in my desire for dried sausage, even considering a daytrip to the 'burg and tonight when Rob asked me what I wanted for dinner I said I wanted cheddar cheese, crackers and dried sausage. But I figured dried sausage was out of the question so I asked him to just get me some salami, about as close I thought he could get at HEB. Imagine my surprise when he called me from the store to say he thought he had found some honest-to-god dried sausage. I asked if it was a shriveled up link and he said, "Yes, it's a shriveled up link that's tied in a loop with a string, it says it is dried sausage made with garlic, has a German name and it's only $3." And I said, "Go for it!" And it was close, very close to what I've been craving for years. Missing the black pepper, obviously cooked, but still very close. Thereby providing me with a dinner fit for kings (provided the king lives in my fantasy kingdom) and apparently now available at my corner grocery store. Life is Good!

NightmaresI've been working more hours at work these last few weeks. I've been scheduled for 40 hours, but have been able to cut out a bit early some days. I'm not actually hitting the 40 hour mark, but I've done quite a few full length workdays. The back hurts from it, but it's not unbearable and that's some major progress. Unfortunately, I've started having nightmares and it's got to be related to the extra time spent on the job. This time it's a brand new recurring dream, one I've never had before. I'm in some sort of cave and there's a cave-in. I'm not completely trapped and I can see light in an opening that is my way to dig out. I start digging my way out, moving boulders and dirt (with my hands, no shovel), but then there's another collapse and the space I'm in gets tighter and smaller as does the opening of the way out. I dig some more and, you guessed it, another collapse. Rinse and Repeat. I always wake up in a panic, at the point where it seems like the next collapse will leave me completely pinned with no sign of light from the opening of the way out. It's not a fear of death that causes the panicked feeling, it's a fear of being trapped and unable to do anything about it. This cave-in dream has me waking up, shaking all over and feeling every bit as if it really happened. That's something that used to happen with my recurring dream of drowning that I have when I'm feeling overwhelmed, but these days (and for a long time now), in the drowning dream I always realize I'm still breathing and therefore I can't be drowning so at that point I wake up and I'm not in a panic, just awake. And I think, "Ah, I'm feeling overwhelmed so let's do something about that tomorrow" and I go right back to sleep. This has been the case with ever other recurring dream I've had in the past and there are a lot of them, each tied to a specific problem. Eventually I figure out what the dream is trying to tell me, fix the problem and the dream either goes away completely or comes back as a reminder from time to time (without the panicked feeling) that I need to address a particular issue in my life. And this time, the solution for the nightmares is not to work less hours or to find another job, but to figure out what is it is about those two things that is triggering this. The answer will come to me, tomorrow or the next day or a month from now, but it will come eventually. In the meantime, I should probably plan on going to bed a bit earlier to make up for the hour it takes me to go back to sleep after waking up from one of these dreams.

Yesterday,Don and I were trying to trace a pipe that was inside a wall,requiring one of us to climb into a chase above said wall and find it.And as I've said before,this place is dangerous and unpredictable,you never know what you'll encounter up in those ceilings.Don is skinny,so he got to go into the chase...And thanks to him doing that we were able to connect the dots outside the wall and correct our problem.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Next partyWe are kicking around ideas for the next Club Spit party. Back in the day, when we held these party/jam events on a regular basis we always had one each year called "Fallback" in October - a reference to fall weather (such as it is here in Austin) and the daylight saving time change. With daylight saving time pushed out to November, that tradition is probably best left retired. Instead, we've settled on mid-September (in honor of my birthday) and we'll probably have it out at Country Club Spit in Dripping Springs. September weather around here is unpredictable and it could be blistering hot or we could have a freak cold front blow through and cool things down a bit, but it's never so cold that an outdoor venue would be a problem. And September is an excellent time to go camping which makes Country Club Spit the perfect choice since all participants are encouraged to bring a tent and stay overnight. This year my birthday on the 15th does not conflict with ACL (Austin City Limits Festival) so I shouldn't have any problem getting some time off for the weekend of the 13th (all my coworkers always want off for ACL and I'm always having to argue that my birthday is a lot older than ACL so I should get priority.) We still need to check the date with the Country Club and I've got to clear it with my boss, but for now tentatively mark your calendar for Saturday, September 13th.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

IT'S BITTERSWEET REALLY...

(Cue "taps")It is with great sadness that I announce the removal of Idle Thoughts from our blogroll.Fortunately for us,we became fast friends with Special K before she reached her zenith and are in touch in other ways besides the blogosphere.Her snark will be sorely missed by many,including us,but if we want some o' that canadian cynicism she's a phone call away.And who knows...she may be back someday.(Cue "reveille")It brings me great pride to announce the addition of hobo hanks magic picture show to our blogroll.Dirty thumb Jon and I go back a long way-83 I think-maybe longer-and he is a very talented photographer,among other things.Click on his link,check his shit out.You'll like it.

Funny how things work outI posted a while back about our little incident with credit card fraud. The dispute form never did arrive by email, but the reason it never arrived was because I didn't need to fill one out in the first place. That was our experience the first time this sort of thing happened - no forms, no paperwork, just a phone call. I thought things had changed at the bank, but it turns out the only thing different this time was that I got a customer service rep who gave me incorrect information. Having to wait for a new card was a bit of an inconvenience, but it turned out to be so worth the hassle. Little did I know that Rob had spent the month of June chatting up a storm on his cell phone and had managed to run up a huge bill. If that charge had run through instead of bouncing due to the canceled card, we would have found ourselves up to our eyeballs in overdraft fees. The phone bill is one of those bills I don't pay too much attention to. For years, the bill has been pretty much the same each month, varying by $20 or so depending on how much Rob talks to Special K up in Canada (there's a small surcharge for calls to Canada, easily affordable.) Rob has a 600 minute plan - 600 anytime, free for nights (after 9pm apparently) and weekends. It's always been plenty of minutes. But in June, Rob talked a whopping 1552 minutes, much of it during peak hours so the bill was double the usual amount. Ouch. And I did look at the bill to make sure nothing was hinky, but the calls were all legitimate. So Rob gave the phone company a call and they did us right (as they probably should given that we are long-long-term customers) and we have until the 5th to pay off the balance. Where the extra money will come from, I don't know, but I figure if the Universe can orchestrate some petty credit card fraud to save us hundreds of dollars in overdraft fees, then it can produce the extra money to pay the bill as well.

On Sunday,I brought 3 guitars-My G&L ASAT,Gibson SG,and Washburn acoustic.I haven't played my gibson in a while,so it needed tuning.I changed the tuners a while back to some grover tuners,and ever since then I've had a near impossible time tuning it.I figured it was the grover tuners (which is crazy,because they are superior to the rinky dink factory tuners that come on a SG standard.After about 10 minutes I gave up and went to the ASAT,which,after sitting out on my amp for a week,was still in tune save for the low E.I gave my SG to LT (who is a gibson guy) and said "I defy you to tune this guitar".He just smiled and said,"It's a gibson,I can tune it".And sure enough,within 5 minutes it was ready to go.I gave LT the few dollars I had in my pocket-which he snuck back into my washburn without telling me.I now have money inside my guitar.As they said in Young Guns...Pals.

Higher gas prices surveyMy car insurance company sent me a survey asking a variety of questions. It was supposedly sent in an effort to improve service, but the questions had nothing to do with service and I suspect it was more for data mining. But maybe I'm just being cynical. Anyway, some of the questions involved higher gas prices; one was if I was planning on buying a new car with better gas mileage and the other was if I had changed my driving habits as a result of the price increase. My answer to both was no. My current car, the ancient 1992 Ford Tempo, gets around 20 miles per gallon with our mix of city/highway driving. While that's not great gas mileage compared to a Prius with it's 48 mpg city mpg, I only put about 3000/miles a year on my car. The savings from the increased gas mileage of a new car would be minimal and definitely not worth the car payment and higher car insurance costs. And I haven't changed my driving habits either since I've been driving as little as possible for a very long time. I'm probably in the minority here in the gas guzzling USA, but the only change that higher gas prices are likely to bring about is less money in my bank account.

Monday, July 28, 2008

I THINK THAT'S HAM,BUT I'M NOT SURE-I THINK IT'S DONE THOUGH

It was a BBQ...It was a barndance.In general,in my humble opinion,it fucking ruled.We had an excellent turn out.The music was good and the music was loud.There were people in attendance from every period of our lives,past and present.I didn't get many pictures,but there were others there that were popping flash like crazy-when I get those,you know they'll be posted here...In the mean time...fucking indeed!

Wendilicious...you think she takes after me?Nahhhh.

Part of the high school crowd...I'm so glad these three made it.

Another high school bud...he sat in with us and we whipped out some old ZZ Top.It was a memorable night-it ended early-about 11,but the band hung out together until about 1...Like I said.:)

Saturday, July 26, 2008

NEW INK

I found out the other day that my friend (and tattoo guy) was moving away,out of state,to open his own shop.While that's good for him-I wish him the best of luck-it's bad for me and the rest of his regular customers.I just had to get one more from him before he left town.And here it is...the I.B.E.W logo.I imagine I'll be an electrician for the rest of my working life-so it made sense.

That's a sensitive spot BTW...Special note to Kyle:I even made the "bitch face"-once HA!

Friday, July 25, 2008

THAT WAS REALLY COOL

My first wife called me last night,I haven't seen her in over 20 years,and haven't spoken to her in over 10.It was a bit awkward at first,but we eased into sharing stories about family and how our lives have been since those days-I was 21 days past my 18th birthday when we got married,she was 19.We were so young.She said she had only fond memories of those days,and despite my mom's attempts to demonize her before and after,I share the same memories and fondness.We first met when we were 14 and 15,living in the twilight of the hippy generation.She was a cool chick back then,second only to my hair apparently (I wrote that on the back of a photo I sent to her-ha!).Finally,my phone started chirping at me that it was about to die,so I had to go.But we resolved to stay in touch and agreed that our experience together was the beginning of the paths that led us to who we are now and that's a good thing-for both of us.In the middle of a whirlwind week of old friends and family.It's p-minus 48 hours to the party,tomorrow has hours of guitar playing,a trip to the tattoo shop (more about that later),and more electric consultation at my buddy Al's house.This weekend should rule!And we're all off on monday!Boo-Ya!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Another Happy AnniversaryLong time readers will know that Rob and I have always had a hard time remembering if our wedding anniversary is on the 23rd or the 24th. That's because our boxer Skeeter was born on the 24th and every year after we got him we'd be wondering which date was his birthday and which date was our anniversary. Skeeter is gone now, but the confusion remains. In the past, we would have to go rummage in that box of "important papers" and look at the marriage license to know which date was which. After we started the blog, we could just do a search and find a post that mentioned it, but this year we didn't have to do either. A few weeks ago we were looking for something else and came across our box of left over wedding invitations. And so the correct date was fresh in our minds this month and tonight I present you with a blast from our past - a copy of our home-made invitation, crudely designed and printed via our computer and printer back in the dark ages of personal computing, circa 1994. I've smudged the address and the map, but otherwise it is an exact replica of what we sent out.

The dress casual (wear shorts) was a hint that this was taking place in our backyard and around these parts in July, even at 8:00 PM, it is still quite hot outside. Gift registry was at R.E.I. and that proved to be an extremely wise decision given that we were going camping on our honeymoon. We got some of the most awesome wedding gifts ever (provided one likes to go camping as much as we do.) I wish I could throw up some pictures of the wedding, but those were not in the same box as the invites.

Our anniversary celebrations have been varied over the years ranging from the romantic (like a rented boat for just the two of us on Lake Austin or a hotel suite with a whirlpool) to the communal (band gets together and throws a jam party) to the home cooked gourmet meal to a dinner out at our favorite restaurant. This year Rob cooked dinner on the grill and we hung out with our neighbor Jen on the front porch. That might seem like an odd choice for an anniversary celebration, but over the years that she's been our neighbor, she's become family and it just seemed right, especially since she's moving away in a week to far North Austin. Here we were celebrating 14 years together right at the time that she is stepping forth into her own major commitment to a relationship. And as much as we hate to see her move away, we know she's moving in with someone who cares deeply about her and we hope that she'll find as much happiness as we have. So tonight, we drank champagne together, toasted our past and her future and reaffirmed that love really is what makes the world go 'round.

People just amaze me sometimesSome of you may be aware that a hurricane came ashore in Texas today. This obviously had an effect on a variety of services in the area and at work we provide technical support for one of them. Not everything I do is DSL or even internet related and in this case I can't give too many details or readers might be able to figure out what company I'm talking about. But let's just say it's a service that is known to be affected at times by heavy rain and high winds. And yet, despite this common knowledge, we were getting calls complaining that the service was down - in the middle of a hurricane!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

SerendipitySerendipity happens all the time, but I forget to mention it here, tending to bitch about stuff instead these days. But today at work, I found myself sitting at my desk with no glasses. And these days, that means I can't read the computer screen to do my job, even with it set to the lowest resolution supported. Okay, I could strain and possibly make out most of it just from familiarity, but our system isn't designed for such low resolution and there were quite a few things I couldn't access because of that. Yeah, it's bad coding on the company's part, but that doesn't change the fact that I was in a pickle. The built-in Windows magnifier? Hah! No help at all if can't even scroll down or over to the item that I need to look at. And we were too short-staffed for me to run out and get a pair of reading glasses so I was going to have to manage the best I could for the next four hours until lunchtime.

But then Serendipity stepped in. The person sitting to my left noticed my struggle and just happened to have a backup pair of reading glasses in his car that I was welcome to use. Now the odds of this happening are extremely small - there is only one station next to me and only about four people total out of the whole company that use reading glasses. Other than folks in my position, seating is not assigned and I usually have a different neighbor every day. That I would have a neighbor who not only used reading glasses, but also had a backup pair in his car on the same morning that I was without glasses is nothing short of... well, Serendipity.

Allergies are a bitch, arthritis and the old spider biteThis summer the molds are kicking my ass. It's what led to the sinus infection, well actually, that's incorrect. The antihistamines I took for the allergy symptoms are what led to the sinus infection. So no more antihistamines except that untreated allergies sometimes leads to an arthritis flare for me and guess what? Yep. I've got the classic red, swollen joints that tell me I'm headed for trouble if I don't do something. And here's where things get tricky. I've got lots of past experience with this and there's not a whole lot of workable solutions. Antihistamines = sinus infections. NSAIDS for the arthritis = stomach ulcers. I could probably talk my doctor into giving me a cortisone shot which will treat both and make me feel fabulous for a short while. Except that I discovered as a kid that I should never take cortisone, oral or shots, except in extreme circumstances due to... well, I suppose the short way to describe it would be excessive tissue damage. Those dimples I have between my hip bones and my buttocks? I wasn't born with them, they're from the shots I had as a kid. The scars have faded, but the dents remain. I figure they go with the dent in my nose, though that was from a cabinet door that I hit so hard it dented the cartilage. I am a dented person, much like a used car, and quite frankly, I don't mind one bit. Adds character.

And you know, I had completely forgotten about that reaction to cortisone which might explain why the cream the doctor gave me for my spider bite (after the infection had cleared up and it still wasn't healing) made it worse instead of better - it had cortisone in it. Didn't think of it at the time and I had never used cortisone cream before then so didn't have any prior experience with it. And that spider bite did finally heal up as of last week, but only after giving up on the doctors to just let my body deal with it naturally for a while. Special K told me try calendula oil, but I never got around to getting any and it seemed to do so much better on it's own that I just left it alone. Although it did leave a nasty scar the size of a quarter. It looks like I got burned by a cigar and I suppose it could turn into a conversation piece should I ever wear a skirt or shorts out somewhere. "Ooo - what happened to your leg?" And then I could make up a story that's much more exciting then getting a spider bite that got infected with a rare form of strep. Maybe it looks more like a bullet hole than a cigar burn? No, Rob says it's not puffy enough to be a bullet hole. Oh well, I'll have to work on coming up with something.

Anyway, back to the problem at hand - allergies & arthritis... the only thing that has ever worked in the past was to lock myself up in a room with an air purifier until the mold count went down which as a child was impractical, pure torture as a teenager and impossible as an adult that has to work at a job to pay for the room in the first place. So I'm going to try Zyrtec which supposedly works well on mold allergies and maybe, just maybe, won't lead to a sinus infection. And perhaps a NSAID at night when the allergies are at their worst... just at night for a week or so... and maybe in another week the mold count will have come down - one can always hope.

Preparations for this Sunday's BBQ and Barndance continue in semi earnest.I have been contacting folks and providing directions and kind of half assed putting together the menu with the other principals and some of the guests.So...if our karma around gigs/parties holds true it should work out just fine.I'm a little concerned about the set list-we are either on or we aren't and we haven't practiced regularly,plus,we have a new guy running our board-either way it goes it should be interesting at least,and the food will kick ass.It's gonna be so cool to see Wendy and reunite with all the people who say they will be there-there may even be some dancing girls!Not strippers,mind you,but girls who are dancers in shows and revues-I have my fingers crossed on that one.Should be a hoot.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Side by Side ComputingWhen I moved in with Rob, I brought my Commodore 64 computer with me. I used it to work from home, to visit my favorite BBS sites and to check out this new thing called the internet. It only had a 300 baud modem and although my workplace had moved up to 9600 baud, it was the best I could do at the time. Rob hadn't been bit by the computer bug yet and when I upgraded to a laptop (DOS based) he started to get curious, but it was still not so easy to get online (command prompt based and all) and he pretty much just ignored it. But all that changed when we went out and bought the Packard Bell. Windows 3.1 made getting on the internet a bit easier and JPEGS had started to appear on the 'net, plus there was a game called Doom. It got to the point where one computer and one phone line just wasn't cutting it so we bought a second computer and got a second phone line and a second internet account and side-by-side computing was created. And that's been the case now for well over ten years. Whether in the back addition, the extra bedroom or the living room, our computers have always been in the same room together. Interestingly enough, our computing was much more collaborative in the past either playing online games together (Acrophobia was a favorite) or jointly surfing to the same sites. These days we go our own way, but still being side-by-side we frequently look at each others finds. But recently we've discovered a problem with side-by-side computing. Maybe you've noticed that a lot of what is out there on the web these days has audio content - news reports, clips from TV shows, You-Tube videos, etc. Two computers, next to each other in the same room, both trying to play a different clip at the same time ... a bit of a problem. Now we could move the computers into separate rooms, but that would suck - we wouldn't be together, it wouldn't be the same... no, separate rooms just won't do. Headphones aren't a good compromise either, maybe once and a while, but they are too isolating - we want to talk to each other, can't do that with headphones on though I suppose we could take them on and off... not sure what the answer is here, but I do know that if Rob plays those Luka videos one more time, I'm likely to run screaming for the hills. So here's a bit to his ears from me - Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden:

RatsSeveral rats visited us this week. A few were animal, some were human. The animal rat visit wasn't much of a surprise since we have an ongoing battle with the rat population trying to move in. We haven't had one in months, but that didn't stop me from awakening in the middle of the night from the tell-tale noises in the kitchen. Can't say what initial sound woke me up, but once awake I heard a pill bottle knocked over and I knew for sure that the noises weren't from a tree roach (another frequent invader this year.) I set up the awesome electrocution rat trap that we have but knew it would take a few days since it's best to set it out turned off at first so they get used to it.

The next day, I heard rat noises in the kitchen during the middle of the day and knew this was no normal cautious rat, sneaking about only at night. I went into the kitchen and discovered it was a huge one and quite brazen though it did scurry behind the stove once it saw me and then made angry chattering noises at me. Bastard. About an hour later he was back out again and I considered grabbing the pellet gun and just shooting him, a rat killing method we used prior to the remodel. But then I remembered the collateral damage and just reached down and activated the trap. Sure enough he was dead in the trap the next morning and by the way, we've discovered the best bait is flour tortillas. Based on our experience where there's one rat, there's always at least one more since they always seem to come in a group so we left the trap set and a second one met their demise today.

The human rat comes in the form of credit card fraud. There was a charge on my card that I didn't make. The statement showed SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT for a charge of $9.55. I check my transactions daily so I caught this while it was still pending and in the past, when this has happened my bank has reversed the charge before it was even posted with no further action needed on our part. Not so this time. I had to wait until it was posted and then request a dispute. I spent an hour on the phone going through convoluted menus systems before I got to a live person who then transferred me to another live person that insisted I needed a fax machine to get the damn dispute form. Really? Do most people have fax machines at home these days? I don't even have a phone line, much less a fax machine. I requested they email the form to me and she said she could do that, but I have yet to receive it. Which is a bit of problem since I supposedly only have 72 hours to complete the form and return it. I think tomorrow I will be calling them back and just for grins I will request a supervisor. Because, dammit, since I have to take these kinds of calls at work all the time, it's a good opportunity for me to have the shoe on the other foot.

Or something like that.I was making calls this afternoon about the party next weekend and big Al had an electrical problem so I went over there to check it out.Big Al is one of my friends from the dillo days,so you know I was gonna hook him up.We do the initial check out thing and go to home depot for the remedy,when we get back whose on the porch but wendy's (the girl we're having the party for) dad,Bill.God damn!How long has it been since we've been all together in the same room?Years I tell you-years.There was much reminiscing and story telling...and even a nephew of Al's who had some interesting things to say.It was an amazing afternoon that turned into an amazing evening.And I learned some things as well.Bill is possessed of a similar memory to mine,he remembered things about my parents that amazed me.Good on ya Bill-who knew?We talked about his daughter,truly a work of art.And while the jokes flew around about her tattoos it was clear that he and I love her and are so proud.I told him about having her back when she was on the street...she doesn't know (well she does now)how I used my cred to make sure nothing bad happened to her while she was out there-erm-finding herself.In the end I guess it's just old guys telling stories...but they are good stories with mostly happy endings.It sucks to get old,but at least I have these guys to do it with.Sometimes you forget how really connected you are to people.I got a lesson today.

For the gig next Sunday...you know,the Wendilicious BBQ and barn dance.We cleaned the shop out today,me,Badger and LT,we made a day of it.We needed a sign to put out on the road so folks would know where to go.I think they'll notice this...
\Craftsman mini tractor...
Primed...
Mushroom farmers tractor...

I awoke with a start at 4-fucking-30 am,with the thought that I needed to be at work.Wait,dumb ass...it's Saturday,you are off.But I was unable to go back to sleep.I was also out of smokes.So,much to Irenes surprise her morning started with a ride to the store.She was a bit confused by the early hour,but thrilled to start her day off with a ride.I've had a lot of dogs in my life,but this one is special.I've written at length about Irene here so I won't be redundant.Let me just say that I feel blessed that we have each other.Carolyn can't believe that's really my desk...wow,Carolyn-after all these years-like ghosts along the Mississippi.I know we have lurkers here at depthmarker,and I'm ok with that...but this one left her name,and through the magic of my amazing computer skills I know who you are.But you didn't leave a link so I could contact you.To ask how you are and to wish you well.I guess I just did if she ever comes back.30 years is a long time,but I remember those days clearly,and despite the outcome,fondly.But I'm sentimental like that.That was so long ago-another lifetime,but I can conjure you in my mind and remember exactly how you looked-the sound of your voice.The curse of my long memory rising up to hit me again.How's Catherine?Your parents?Please give them my best.And next time,leave a link-OK?:)

Friday, July 18, 2008

CHORES

There's work and there's chores.We do the minimal when it comes to chores and consequently,our house is a shit hole of clutter and dirty dishes.My desk is currently a nightmare...I tell myself everyday that I'm going to clean it,but after a day at the job,all I want to do is nothing beyond making dinner and relaxing.I really need to do this and that...but-fuck it-as the old wall of voodoo song says:I'll do it tomorrow.

Used to be,I'd rather drink myself into a stupor in front of the computer-and I thought that was it,but-I don't do that anymore so I guess I'm just lazy-and tired.So,tomorrow LT,Badger and I will meet at the shop early for a dump run-maybe 2-in preparation for the wendilicious BBQ and barndance on the 27th.The shop needs a clean up.I'm not sure what I'm in for,but it needs to be done,and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let LT do it on his own.If I could only find that inspiration for my own house.But considering our situation with the old man (no social calls) it's even easier to blow that shit off and deal with the clutter/nastiness.Plus,it's always more fun to labor with friends.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

APPARENTLY,THE RULES HAVE CHANGED...ASS OVER ELBOWS UPDATE

Anyone who didn't see anything got cut loose after the cops were called-meaning everyone in the back of the van except the guy sitting on the ice chest between the front seats.The cops were called,and when they arrived,our hostile brother had called his daddy and had him by his side as he pretended to be a polite mild mannered victim to the officers.He produced a valid insurance card (very easy to do,make a down payment,get the card,let it default)and,because there were no injuries and not significant enough damage to either vehicle,no one was run through the system and minimal statements/reports were taken.Had I been the driver (an ex cop) I would have at least mentioned the guy had said he had no insurance and a warrant just to put a fuckin' on him for his initial attempt to put a fuckin' on us-but that's just me.Unbelievable how the powers that be put a fuckin' on themselves through their own rules and policies...

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

ASS OVER ELBOWS

Headed back to the meeting area this afternoon (we can't park on campus,so have to meet about a mile away)in the service van-driver,one passenger up front,and 7 other guys riding without seats in the back-we got into a wreck.Some jack ass did a quick wide left turn with no signal into his drive way and our driver did his best to stop,but ended up removing this guys bumper and creasing his passenger side.Initially,this guy was a real asshole-making threats and saying shit like "somebody gonna come up on this shit"!"Somebody gonna pay"!"Somebody gonna be writin' me a check"!Our driver (an ex cop)got out and said "calm down,it was an accident,lets call the cops".The dude immediately changed his tune and made it clear he didn't want the cops involved-turns out he has a warrant and no insurance.I was sitting right behind the passenger seat,and while I didn't see the wreck,I did see 6 people flying past me in various acrobatic save positions.No one got hurt,but damn!What a way to end the day.

On the food front,tonight I made bacon cheeseburger meat loaf.It's like regular meat loaf only you mix in a 8 oz. bag of shredded cheese and a shit load of bacon and top it with french fried onions-and in this case-more cheese.I'm having mine with tater salad.

This song was running through my head when I woke up this morning. You see, I've never been a morning person and my mom could tell you hundreds of stories about how hard it was to get me out of bed, even when I was a little kid. Sometimes she would sing to wake me up and this was one of the songs.

Mystery bass identified as a 1979 Washburn VultureI bought this used left-handed bass over 10 years ago but until recently had not been able to find any information on it. It's either a very rare model or was completely unloved and faded into obscurity. I've been searching for information off and on for years with no luck until I picked up the search again yesterday. According to information on the Washburn forums and at http://www.g3h.be/wings/ it appears to be a 1979 Washburn Vulture. Unfortunately Washburn Customer Service wasn't able to confirm this since they weren't able to locate a 1979 catalog.

Here are some quick pics I took to send off in an attempt to identify it (sorry about the glare and fingerprints.)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

I HAVE A NEW HALF STACK

All of my amps are at the shop,so playing plugged in was not an option,so when Ann busted out her practice amp and her vintage washburn bass (apparently,this axe is very rare-but I'll let Ann tell you about that)I was at a loss.Then I remembered...I have my sovtek mig 100 head and that old JBL 2X12 speaker cabinet,I wonder...Well-I was right in wondering,the fucking thing screams.I was so excited I called LT to tell him about it,and in process set up a shop clean up and possibly practice next weekend.He had emailed me about the need to clean up the shop a while back,so I volunteered to help-(Bill's helping too,he just doesn't know it yet.:)New guns for the Wendilicious bbq and barn dance on the 27th...woot!We've been breaking out the shit for this gig in July...And that includes Ann's washburn (maybe vulture) bass...so much heavier than that Ibanez she's been playing...I've been begging for the vulture for a couple of years now...very cool that it has re emerged.Now-don't you stop me...2 weeks to go...set list,callouses,rockinroll soul inhalation and we should be good to go...I feel alive again.

That last post of the captain and that horse headed woman gave me an idea.Everyday this week I will offer you a video,and you decide-heaven or hell...You have to vote and comment in the comments section.Here's the first one..."wild One" by Thin Lizzy...

We had a bbq yesterday with Jen and her boyfriend,Andy...he brought his dog Skyla.Irene initially tried to run her off,but after some bum sniffing it was all good.A new friend...the girls hangin' on the porch...The spread...pork cutlets in hoison and plum sauce with raspberry vinaigrette,Chicken with fiesta chicken rub,corn on the cob,baked beans and onions and mushrooms.All very tasty.Re-stoking the coals...Even the neighbors got in on the action...Jen and Andy...A good time was had by all.Hope you had a good weekend as well,looking forward to a lazy Sunday here.

RecapJuly 4th was every bit the horrible holiday at work that I thought it would be. I probably set myself up for that by expecting it and maybe if I had gone into work with a more positive attitude it would not have been so bad. But I woke up that morning with a sore throat and an ear ache so positive thinking was a bit out of my reach. And then Saturday, that day of the week that we are always short-staffed even though it's our busiest day... that day I felt horrible, like I had the flu, but I dragged myself into work anyway and somehow managed to make it through the day. I'm surprised I didn't get pulled over on the way home as a suspected DWI, but fortunately I didn't hit anything other than a few curbs and was able to get my ass into bed the moment I got home. That started a long blur of feverish days and nights. I vaguely remember going to the doctor on Wednesday where I learned that I had a sinus infection and a much higher fever than I thought - apparently our home thermometer is off by about 2 degrees. I also remember trying to hang on to consciousness at Walgreens while I waited for my prescriptions where I bought Theo a stuffed hedgehog dog toy instead of the new thermometer that I intended to buy. Theo doesn't play with toys anymore so why I bought that is a mystery, but I suppose it made some sort of sense to my feverish brain at the time. And well, it is a pretty damn cute stuffed toy so maybe I just needed something to make me smile.

I went back to work on Friday, still running a fever and that day is a bit of a blur as well. But yesterday I was fever-free and I had the misfortune of being fully engaged in every agonizing moment of what ranks as one of the worst days at work I have ever experienced. I'm not sure how I managed to stay in my seat and not run screaming for the door before the end of my shift. And I'm amazed that I kept my cool during the unending string of supervisor calls since it was one right after another for the whole six hours. The thought that it was a short shift kept me going . I also knew that I had a 12 pack of beer at home that had been sitting there for a whole week and I could go home, get drunk and by the next morning, the day would be history. And that's exactly what I did. Went home, got drunk and sure enough, this morning I find that yesterday is, in fact, history. This is one instance where getting drunk was exactly the right thing to do. I woke up feeling great and I don't give a shit about anything that happened at work yesterday. Perfect. It's gonna be a good day.

When I was a little kid I used to see this ad in magazines and comic books.And I remember thinking how cool I would look in the Van Dyke.My dad used to let me "shave" with his (razor less)razor.I was anxious to have facial hair.There was a popular rumor going around the schoolyard that if you rubbed a bar of soap(dry)say,where sideburns should be it would promote hair growth.And you bet I did it.I can't confirm or bust this myth,but by the age of 13 I had rudimentary sideburns!By 15,I had my long desired Van Dyke.Observe...(I know I have used the fuck out of this picture-but-god damn-is it funny or what?)Here is the ad that launched at least one dry soap face rubbing fake shaver...

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

NIGHTMARE

I did the flea drop treatment on the dogs like I've done a few times before when the fleas have gotten so bad.Irene was fine with it,but after about a half an hour the old man came back to the bed foaming at the mouth like Cujo and stumbling about like a drunkard.Soon after,he was unable to climb up on the bed with his usual difficulty and stumbled around even more.I got the drops package and called the hotline...good for me,I'm still good in a crisis.I had unknowingly poisoned my dog,he was drifting fast.It was like GBH for dogs-OK,I watch crime shows.The hotline response?Bathe him completely in dawn washing detergent three times,complete body wash,not just the 18 inches of back I had treated...can anyone say toxic chemicals?Another problem,he absolutely fucking hates baths,and I was fixing to expose him to 3 in a row.I would not poison my dog,I lost Sullivan to questionable yet biological circumstances,it wasn't going to happen chemically to Theo,when he goes he will be cradled in our arms and pass a normal death.So,Ann and I jumped into action,and bathed the shit out of him.He seems ok now.I will never use this product again on either dog...I've never trusted it entirely.It's organics for me now.I could not have lived with myself if I had caused his death because his scratching at night irritated me...scratch all you want old man-I welcome it.It was a dread that was almost overwhelming...almost.It did not render me helpless.Man...but-whoa-what a fucking freak out.

These are quotes from Gen.Salami,(funny fucking name by the way) commander of the revolutionary guard in Iran.

"We want to tell the world that those who conduct their foreign policy by using the language of threat against Iran have to know that our finger is always on the trigger and we have hundreds and even thousands of missiles ready to be fired against predetermined targets," Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guard ground forces, said on state TV.

"We will chase the enemies on the ground and in the sky and we are able react strongly to enemy's threats in shortest possible time.".Pretty spooky,huh?How long do you think before it's all out fucking war?I'm taking odds.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ON THE HOMEFRONT...

Ann woke up Friday with an earache and sore throat,by Saturday she was down for the count.By Sunday,so was I.This was/is the most miserable illness,I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.Over 2 days I had 1/2 a bowl of soup (chicken noodle-gotta hang onto the myth) and 1/2 an Arby's beef and cheddar.I tried to continue smoking,but couldn't manage it.But I'm feeling some better today and even went to work-Ann went to the doctor.

I was talking to my son about that picture of Theo and he couldn't believe Theo was so old.And then he made a comment about how his life was a blur back in the day.Really?You have hazy memories of your youth?I'm shocked.And it was then I realized how much my son is like me,with one difference.I am possessed of a elephants memory...I remember every detail of my life in painful clarity.All the good times,all the bad times (especially the bad times)And while that's good on some fronts...there are things I'd rather not remember,but there they are in crystal clear clarity...regardless of the drugging and drinking I've done.(specifically designed to kill memory)It haunts me...I remember it all...to detail-to minutia. There are so many horrible moments burned into me that I am like a walking nightmare.Don't dig too deep-there's a killer in here.Pain is a heavy thing.But I still look cute with a dog...